Apostille for Germany

Russian documents have full legal force on the territory of the countries that have acceded to the 1961 Hague Convention, including Germany, without full consular legalization. In this case, the legalization is simplified and is conducted with the help of apostille. Apostille for Germany is a special stamp that, in most cases, is placed on the original document and is translated by a qualified translator on the territory of Russia or by a sworn translator in Germany.

When is apostille required?

 Apostille confirms the validity of official documents outside of the Russian Federation. All legally significant documents issued by Russian state institutions are subject to apostille. The procedure is mandatory in the following cases:

• for immigration and registration of permanent residence in Germany;
• for visa applications;
• for studies at educational institutions in Germany;
• for the transfer of ethnic Germans to the German Federal Migrations Centre to their historical homeland;
• for the processing of BlueCard for specialists traveling to work in Germany;
• for marriage with a German citizen;
• in other cases when the legal validation of Russian documents is required by the German authorities.

Who affixes the apostille on documents?

Only the state institutions that issued the documents have the right to put apostille. The authority for putting apostille in Russia belongs to:

• The Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation – documents issued by a notary, any notary copies.
• Civil registry offices – civil status certificates (birth certificates, marriage registration certificates, death certificates, adoption certificates, etc.);
• The Ministry of Defence – only the documents related to the military service of citizens are apostatized;
• The Federal Archival Agency of Russia – extracts and certificates from archival documents;
• The Ministry (Department) of Education – diplomas, certificates and other documents related to secondary, vocational or higher education of citizens.
• The Main Informational and Analytical Center for the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation – police clearance certificate

Apostille on Russian documents can only be affixed in the Russian Federation. This cannot be done on the territory of Germany. This procedure is not carried out at the embassy. When planning a trip to Germany, you should have your documents apostilled while on the territory of Russia. But if you are already in Germany, and your Russian documents are not processed, we are ready to help you.